An authors whose backlist I am having a grand time going though- Elizabeth Boyle stops by the blog today to give us some dish on her latest release! It looks like a real romp of a read, doesn't? Spies, espionage, notorious widows? I know what you're thinking- Where do I sign up? Buy links are in the post, but why not get your appetite whet with her excerpt (or by reading the great interview). Also some pearls of wisdom from Elizabeth for author who find them selves at the "should I just give up now?" phase of their careers!:
Elizabeth Boyle is the NY Times bestselling author of thirteen novels and one novella. Her favorites moments as an author include winning the Dell Diamond Debut, the Romance Writers of America RITA award and falling over backward into Puget Sound during a photo shoot. Having successfully hunted software pirates for a living, Elizabeth feels equally qualified to delve into the antics of rakes, spies and privateers in her writing life.
About the Book:
Minerva Sterling swore she'd never marry again. So why is she suddenly engaged to the most notorious rake in London?
A diplomat and a spy, the dashing Lord Langley is happy to be home after years spent abroad, though less so to discover the ladies he so callously loved and left have been anxiously awaiting his return. Hoping to put his checkered past - and his persistent ex-lovers - behind him, he proposes to staid, serious Minerva Sterling . . . and maneuvers her into a compromising position to ensure her assent.
At the brazen rake's mercy - since anything less than a wedding and her reputation is destroyed - Minerva agrees, but only under strict conditions: no more attempted seductions, no kisses or scandalous behavior. But Langley's a man ruled by passion - especially when he realizes how fiercely he burns for his reluctant intended . . . and how willing he is to risk life itself to truly win her heart.
Get Your Copy Today:
The Interview
RJ: Hello Elizabeth, and welcome to Not Another Romance Blog! I am so excited to have you on! Congrats on your latest release, “Lord Langley is Back In Town’ (The Standon Widows Series-Book 3, Avon,May 31st 2011) I always love to ask an author about the emotions or feelings they get as their release date near, so how did you feel? This isn’t your first ‘go-around’, but has the anticipation become easier to deal with?EB: It is always exciting as a release date approaches—and like every author I go through the usual emotions about a story arriving in the stores and more importantly,in the reader’s hands. Will they like it? Better yet, will they love it? Will they get my really warped sense of humor? Hopefully, the answers to all those will be an enthusiastic “Yes!”.
RJ: What inspired you to start writing in the first place and can you recall a time when pursuing the dream of becoming an author had gotten really difficult and you seriously thought about giving up? What made you push forward and/or what advice do you have for aspiring authors who find themselves at that point?
EB: I always wanted to be a writer—a storyteller would be a better definition. I just love stories-the hows and whys, the motivations, the secrets behind characters. I think I am just nosy by nature. I wrote for about five years before I sold and once during that time I got a contest entry back on which an author I really admired had written in big red Sharpie: “Your writing is unprofessional and you will never publish.” Instead of being discouraged, that set my determination to be a published author. If it is really, truly what you want, you’ll set your heels and dig in for the long haul—because even selling isn’t the end all, be all. It is only the beginning.
EB: I always wanted to be a writer—a storyteller would be a better definition. I just love stories-the hows and whys, the motivations, the secrets behind characters. I think I am just nosy by nature. I wrote for about five years before I sold and once during that time I got a contest entry back on which an author I really admired had written in big red Sharpie: “Your writing is unprofessional and you will never publish.” Instead of being discouraged, that set my determination to be a published author. If it is really, truly what you want, you’ll set your heels and dig in for the long haul—because even selling isn’t the end all, be all. It is only the beginning.
EB: I still adore Something About Emmaline. That book, to this day, from the pretty, sunny and romantic cover to the opening scene when he discovers he actually has a wife to the final scenes, all make me smile. I think Emmaline, with all her faults and follies, is one of my favorite heroines. For me, a heroine is interesting to write about when she is a bit of a steamroller and a conartist—she keeps the poor hero on his toes and always guessing how she is going to turn his life upside down.
RJ: Let’s focus on your latest release now. What is ‘Lord Langley is Back In Town’ all about?
EB: I have been waiting to write about Lord Langley since I first brought him to life in This Rake of Mine. Though he has never set foot on a single page, to me he was a fully realized character before I ever told his story. After all, he is Felicity’s (Love Letters from a Duke) and Tally’s (Confessions of a Little Black Gown) long lost father and we have already met one of his mistresses—Jamilla--so you have a sense of the man before he ever arrives in town. For a long time I had thought of pairing him with Felicity and Tally’s old school teacher, Miss Emery, but I never could get the story to work, then after writing about Minerva for several books Irealized—whether I knew it or not—I had created the perfect heroine for this reckless rake.
RJ: Your bio says that your background as a paralegal and ‘pirate hunter’ ;) leaves no wonder as to how elements like counterfeiting, forgery and espionage find their way into the adventures you pen in your stories. Did your background influence the plot in this latest release as well? And if so, how/in what ways?
EB: I think my previous experiences always bring something to the table when I write a book that features characters from the Foreign Office. I do like trying to use what I learned doing surveillance on modern pirates and put it to good use in my books. Truly, a lot of techniques haven’t changed all that much in 200 years—blending in, using people who certainly don’t look like spies (that was always me) to send into places to learn how an operation works or to just observe. You’ll see this in Lord Langley’s story.
RJ: Tell us more about the Hero and Heroine (Ellis and Minerva). What’s different or unique about them separately and what makes them work as a couple? Why are their major flaws and why are they attracted to each other?
EB: I like to think that for a worldly man like Langley (aka Ellis), Minerva is a breath of fresh air. She is outwardly immune to his charms, she doesn’t want anything from him other than to leave her alone, and she has very strict rules about conduct and manners that she imposes upon him. For a man who has never lived by the rules, always had women fall at his feet, she is a fascinating puzzle.That, and Langley realizes all too quickly that Minerva is harboring a deep,dark secret. And being Langley, he can’t let up until he discovers thetruth—which puts them in conflict, but always gives them a chance to learn about each other, and most importantly, fall in love. For Minerva, falling in love with a devilish fellow like Langley is akin to leaping off a cliff. My job was to give her that necessary push.
EB: I think my previous experiences always bring something to the table when I write a book that features characters from the Foreign Office. I do like trying to use what I learned doing surveillance on modern pirates and put it to good use in my books. Truly, a lot of techniques haven’t changed all that much in 200 years—blending in, using people who certainly don’t look like spies (that was always me) to send into places to learn how an operation works or to just observe. You’ll see this in Lord Langley’s story.
RJ: Tell us more about the Hero and Heroine (Ellis and Minerva). What’s different or unique about them separately and what makes them work as a couple? Why are their major flaws and why are they attracted to each other?
EB: I like to think that for a worldly man like Langley (aka Ellis), Minerva is a breath of fresh air. She is outwardly immune to his charms, she doesn’t want anything from him other than to leave her alone, and she has very strict rules about conduct and manners that she imposes upon him. For a man who has never lived by the rules, always had women fall at his feet, she is a fascinating puzzle.That, and Langley realizes all too quickly that Minerva is harboring a deep,dark secret. And being Langley, he can’t let up until he discovers thetruth—which puts them in conflict, but always gives them a chance to learn about each other, and most importantly, fall in love. For Minerva, falling in love with a devilish fellow like Langley is akin to leaping off a cliff. My job was to give her that necessary push.
RJ: We all know that good main characters make or break a story, but I also feel that good secondary characters can take a book from good to GREAT. Name a memorable secondary character from your latest release and tell us what is special or noteworthy about them.
EB: I love secondary characters—they can break all the rules and be larger than life, say anything that pops into their head and run rampant through a story. And in this story I have to admit to being more than a little in love with Lord Andrew Stowe. He has future hero material written all over him.
RJ: Okay, now it’s Elizabeth Time! Write the blurb to your life as it is now, but exaggerated to how you ideally wish it could be.
EB: Danger and hazardous duty comes naturally to Queen Elizabeth, who lives a double life as a stay at home mother by day and an internationally feared double agent/beloved monarch at night. Driving around in her inconspicuous mini-van filled with boys and the odor of rank tennis shoes often deters her foes, but in times of dire emergency Elizabeth also deploys that other secret weapon—The Honey-Do-List.Her darling Hero, known by the code name, DH, has been known to dig in deep and do the laundry (yes, gasp, the laundry) when Elizabeth is called to action. Of course, the DH is hot and sexy, for any man who can do laundry and not get the whites and colors mixed is every woman’s fantasy.
RJ: What projects are you currently working on and what do the readers (and me!) have to look forward to next from you?
EB: I am currently working on a three book series about a village of spinsters who are cursed never to marry. As a writer, I knew that situation would never do, so I am attempting to break the curse, find them husbands and have fun while doing it. Watch for updates and tidbits on my blog. (www.elizabethboyle.com/blog)
RJ: Final Question (*sad face*): Let’s say your Standon Series was hitting the silver screen! Which actors and actresses would you ideally cast and for which roles?
EB: For Langley, I think George Clooney would be perfect—he’s got that right hint of age, Cary Grant charm and is sexy enough for the role. If he is interested, I am always opening to have him read for the part. As for the actress, I think someone like Emily Blunt would be wonderful as Minerva, though she might be a tad bit too young for George, so I would have to recast his part. You know,this could take a while—I’ll have to get back to you. J
EB: I am currently working on a three book series about a village of spinsters who are cursed never to marry. As a writer, I knew that situation would never do, so I am attempting to break the curse, find them husbands and have fun while doing it. Watch for updates and tidbits on my blog. (www.elizabethboyle.com/blog)
RJ: Final Question (*sad face*): Let’s say your Standon Series was hitting the silver screen! Which actors and actresses would you ideally cast and for which roles?
EB: For Langley, I think George Clooney would be perfect—he’s got that right hint of age, Cary Grant charm and is sexy enough for the role. If he is interested, I am always opening to have him read for the part. As for the actress, I think someone like Emily Blunt would be wonderful as Minerva, though she might be a tad bit too young for George, so I would have to recast his part. You know,this could take a while—I’ll have to get back to you. J
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| "That's LORD Langley to you" |
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| "Lady Standon, if you're nasty" |
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I hope you guys enjoyed the interview! So many juicy tid-bit, right? I am I for one can not WAIT for Lord Andrew to get his story! What is your favorite Elizabeth Boyle book? Why not help Elizabeth out and give her some ideas for her movie cast. Who do YOU think would make a good Langley and Minerva?
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